1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a gum system for table syrup applications. More particularly, the invention relates to a gum system for very low calorie table syrup applications.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years there have been developed a number of synthetic table syrup products. For purposes of the present invention, the term "synthetic table syrup" is meant to describe a table syrup product manufactured to be comparable in quality to the naturally occurring syrups, e.g., maple syrup. Among the qualities to which synthetic table syrups are intended to be comparable are taste, mouthfeel, pourability, viscosity, and stability.
Synthetic table syrups include a gum system and a large percentage of sugar solids. The gum system is included so that the synthetic syrup mimics the natural syrups in appearance, viscosity, pourability, and mouthfeel. Typically, the gum system includes a suspending, dispersing, or colloidal agent in water. Synthetic and naturally occurring gums are often used in the manufacture of gum systems. Edible preservatives and antimicrobials are often added to the gum system to ensure stability.
A significant volume of a synthetic table syrup is suspended sugar solids. These sugar solids account to a considerable extent for qualities such as taste, mouthfeel, viscosity, pourability and stability. However, the high sugar solids content of these syrups makes them high in calories, and accordingly, they do not satisfy consumer demand for lower calorie food stuffs.
Attempts to produce a reduced calorie synthetic table syrup have been reported in the patent literature. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,521 Bennett et al. describes a synthetic table syrup including by weight from about 15 to about 45% sugar solids, and up to 50% maltodextrin. The syrup further includes a gum system consisting of carboxymethylcellulose gum (CMC) and propylene glycol alginate (PGA). Bennett et al. attributes the characteristics of the syrup to the critical relationship between the CMC and the PGA. Specifically, the weight ratio of the CMC to the PGA must be about 2:1.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,399 Keyser et al. describes a reduced calorie synthetic table syrup including by weight about 40% sugar solids, and a gum system consisting of from about 0.5 to about 1.0% CMC. Keyser et al., teaches that relatively small increases in the amount of CMC, apparently above 1.0%, dramatically increase viscosity and yield a product having a stringy, slimy, undesirable mouthfeel. Keyser et al. attributes the desirable consistency, mouthfeel, and pourability of their syrup to the interaction between the CMC and the sugar solids.
Although the above literature describes synthetic table syrups having a reduced calorie content, these reduced calorie syrups still have a calorie content of from about 24 to about 50 calories per ounce. Products having calorie concentrations as great as this are not acceptable to the vast majority of calorie conscious consumers. The relatively high calorie content of these "reduced" calorie syrups is attributable to the high concentration of sugar solids contained in them.
Although removing the sugar solids in favor of water and a non-nutritive high intensity artificial sweetener, such as, saccharin or aspartame, may appear to be a quick and convenient solution to this problem, it should be noted that the viscosity, stability, pourability, and mouthfeel of these products depends to a great extent on the sugar solids. For example, the above cited patents attribute the desirable characteristics of lower calorie synthetic syrups to the critical interactions between the sugar solids and the gum system. A further complication is realized when it is appreciated that a significant volume of these syrups are comprised of sugar solids, often, as much as 70%. Replacing this volume with water and a high intensity artificial non nutritive sweetener would result in an undesirable, watery, dilute product. Furthermore, replacing this volume with water and a gum system would appear, after reviewing the relevant patent literature, to be futile since the patent literature teaches that gums, e.g., CMC, used in amounts high enough to supply the necessary viscosity for a very low calorie syrup would impair important mouthfeel and pourability characteristics.
Presently, sugar solids, and their corresponding interaction with the gum system, are required to produce a product having an acceptable viscosity, mouthfeel, pourability, and stability. However, these products are not acceptable to consumers because of their relatively high calorie content. There is presently a great demand for a very low calorie table syrup; but, as discussed above, no gum system currently available can impart a desirable viscosity, mouthfeel, stability, and pourability to a table syrup application in the absence of sugar solids.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a gum system for use in preparing very low calorie synthetic table syrups having a desirable viscosity, mouthfeel, pourability, and stability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pourable food product for use in table syrup applications which contain little or no sugar solids.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pourable food product for use in combination with a non-nutritive high intensity sweetener in table syrup applications which contain less than about 25 calories per fluid ounce.